In vitro proteinase and phospholipase activity and pathogenicity of Candida species
Mitrovic, S.; Kranjcic-Zec, I.; Arsic, V.; Dzamic, A.
Journal of ChemoTherapy 7(Suppl): 43-45
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 1120-009X PMID: 8904102 Document Number: 449774
The in vitro secretion of proteinase and phospholipase by 122 clinical Candida isolates (79 C. albicans, 8 C. tropicalis, 10 C. parapsilosis, 9 C. kefyr, 9 C. krusei, 3 C. guilliermondii and 4 C. glabrata [Torulopsis glabrata]) was investigated. 86 strs. (70.5%) were proteinase positive with varying degrees of activity. Extracellular acid proteinase production was found among 71 of 79 (89.9%) strs. of C. albicans. C. kefyr, C. krusei, T. glabrata and C. guilliermondii developed slightly proteolytic activity or were non-proteolytic. 69 of the 122 (56.56%) Candida strs. were strongly or moderately phospholipase-positive in vitro; 68.6% of Candida spp. isolated from patients with symptomatology and significant mycological findings and 27.78% from colonized subjects. 51 of 79 (64.56%) C. albicans strs. were phospholipase-positive. There were no phospholipase-positive strains of T. glabrata. The differences in proteinase and phospholipase secretion between the isolates from the tested groups (infection and colonization) demonstrated a correlation between hydrolytic enzyme production and infection. It is suggested that candidal extracellular acid proteinase and phospholipase play a complex role in human candidosis.